Member profiles//DTLA Print
Scaling From 5 to 20 Employees Without Adding Admin Staff
A growing embroidery shop quadrupled their team size without hiring a single admin person - because the system handled the operational complexity.
Key findings
Team size: 5 before we took over, 20 after.
Admin staff needed: 1 (owner) before we took over, 1 (owner) after.
Owner hours/week: 70+ before we took over, 45 after.
Before Shop Titan
Owner managed everything personally. Verbal instructions, whiteboards, and a single shared spreadsheet.
The Owner Was the System
At 5 employees, the owner could walk the floor and manage everything. At 8 employees, things started slipping. At 12, it was chaos.
FileMaker Only - Deployed in 4 weeks from kickoff to go-live
We deployed the FileMaker system with a focus on production workflow and task assignment. Each department got their own queue. Every job had a defined path from order intake through shipping.
4x Team Size. Same Admin Overhead.
Team size
5
20
Admin staff needed
1 (owner)
1 (owner)
Owner hours/week
70+
45
Jobs falling through cracks
3-5/week
0
The shop grew from 5 to 20 employees over 18 months. The owner did not hire a single admin person. The system enforces the workflow - every employee knows exactly what to do next without asking the owner.
"I went from being the bottleneck to being the business owner. My team runs the system, and the system runs the shop. I actually took a vacation last month."
Shop Owner
DTLA Print
See What We Run Behind These Results
Frequently Asked Questions
How did the shop grow from 5 to 20 employees without adding admin staff?
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The FileMaker system enforces the production workflow, so every employee knows the next step without asking the owner. That let the team quadruple without hiring a single additional administrator.
How long did the FileMaker system take to deploy?
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It went live in 4 weeks from kickoff, with a focus on production workflow and per-department task queues.
How did the owner's workload change?
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Owner hours dropped from 70+ per week to about 45, and jobs falling through the cracks between departments went from 3 to 5 per week to zero.